Self-interpreting Bible

1 Kings 1

1Abishag cherisheth David in his extreme old age. 5Adonijah, having gained over Joab and Abiathar, inviteth his friends to a feast in order to make himself king. 11Nathan's advice to Bathsheba thereupon; 15who moveth the king on the behalf of Solomon. 22She is seconded by Nathan. 28David sweareth to Bathsheba to make Solomon king that same day; 32and issueth out orders accordingly. 38Solomon is anointed and proclaimed king, the people rejoicing. 41Adonijah and his guests hearing the news betake themselves to flight. 50Adonijah, laying hold on the horns of the altar, is dismissed by Solomon in peace, on condition of his good behaviour.

1 NOW king David was ^aold and ¹^*stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he ^*gat no heat.

a: 2Sa. 5:4 , Ps. 90:10
1: Heb. entered into days.
*: stricken in years-aged. , gat-got.

2 Wherefore his ^bservants said unto him, ²Let there be sought for my lord the king ³a young virgin: and let her ^cstand before the king, and let her ⁴cherish him, and ^dlet her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king ^emay get heat.

b: Ge. 20:8 , Ge. 40:20 , Ge. 41:37 , Ge. 41:38
2: Heb. Let them seek.
3: Heb. a damsel, a virgin.
c: De. 1:38 , De. 10:8 , 1Sa. 16:21 , 1Sa. 16:22
4: Heb. be a cherisher unto him.
d: Ge. 16:5 , De. 13:6 , 2Sa. 12:3 , Mi. 7:5
e: Ec. 4:11 , 1Ki. 1:1

3 So they ^fsought for a fair ^*damsel throughout all the ^*coasts of Israel, and found ^gAbishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

f: Es. 2:2 - 4
*: damsel-young woman, girl. , coasts-regions, country.
g: 1Ki. 2:17 , 1Ki. 2:22 , Jos. 19:18 , 1Sa. 28:4 , 2Ki. 4:6 , 2Ki. 4:25

4 And the ^*damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king ^hknew her not.

*: damsel-young woman, girl.
h: Ge. 4:1 , Mat. 1:25

5 ¶Then ⁱAdonijah the son of Haggith ^jexalted himself, saying, I will ⁵be king: and ^khe prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.

i: 2Sa. 3:4 , 1Ch. 3:2
j: Lu. 14:11 , Pr. 16:18 , Pr. 18:12 , 2Sa. 12:11 , Ju. 9:2 , De. 17:15 , 1Ch. 22:9
5: Heb. reign.
k: 2Sa. 15:1 , De. 17:16 , Ps. 20:7

6 And his father ^lhad not displeased him ⁶at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very ^mgoodly man; and his mother ⁿbare him after Absalom.

l: Pr. 23:13 , Pr. 29:15 , 1Sa. 3:13 , Le. 19:17
6: Heb. from his days.
m: 2Sa. 14:25 , 1Sa. 9:2 , 1Sa. 10:23
n: 2Sa. 3:3 , 2Sa. 3:4 , 1Ch. 3:2

7 And ⁷he ^oconferred with ^pJoab the son of Zeruiah, and with ^qAbiathar the priest: and they ⁸following Adonijah helped him.

7: Heb. his words were with.
o: Ps. 2:2 , Eze. 38:10
p: 2Sa. 8:16 , 2Sa. 8:17 , 1Ki. 2:28 - 35
q: 2Sa. 20:25
8: Heb. helped after Adonijah.

8 But ^rZadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the ^smighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.

r: 2Sa. 8:17 , 2Sa. 8:18 , 2Sa. 7:2 , 2Sa. 12:1 - 15 , 2Sa. 16:5 , 2Sa. 20:25
s: 2Sa. 23:8 - 39 , 1Ch. 11:10 - 47

9 And Adonijah ^tslew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by ⁹En-rogel, and called all his brethren the king's sons, and all the men of Judah the king's servants:

t: Nu. 23:1 , Pr. 15:8 , Is. 1:11 - 15
9: Or, the well Rogel. 2Sa. 15.17; 17.17. Is. 7.3. Jos. 15.7. , 2Sa. 15:17 , 2Sa. 17:17 , Is. 7:3 , Jos. 15:7

10 But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and ^uSolomon his brother, he called not.

u: 2Sa. 12:24

11 ¶Wherefore Nathan ^vspake unto Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not?

v: 2Sa. 7:12 - 15 , 2Sa. 12:24 , 1Ch. 22:9 , 1Ch. 3:5 , Ps. 37:3

12 Now therefore come, ^wlet me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou ^xmayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon.

w: Pr. 17:2 , Pr. 11:14 , Pr. 24:6 , Pr. 12:15 , Pr. 12:20 , Pr. 15:22 , Pr. 27:9
x: 1Ki. 1:21 , Ge. 19:17 , Ac. 27:31

13 Go and get thee in unto king David, and say unto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine handmaid, saying, ^yAssuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall ^zsit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign?

y: 2Ch. 22:9 , 2Ch. 22:10 , 2Sa. 12:24 , 2Sa. 12:25
z: De. 17:18 , 1Ch. 29:23 , 1Ch. 28:5 , 1Ch. 22:9 , 1Ch. 22:10

14 Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and ¹⁰confirm thy words.

10: Heb. fill up, v.17-27. , 1Ki. 1:17 - 27

15 ¶And Bath-sheba went in unto the king into the chamber: and the ^aking was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king.

a: 1Ki. 1:1 , 1Ki. 1:4

16 And Bath-sheba ^bbowed, and did ^*obeisance unto the king. And the king said, ¹¹What wouldest thou?

b: Ge. 18:2 , Ge. 19:1 , Ru. 2:10 , 2Sa. 9:6 , 2Sa. 9:8 , 2Sa. 14:4 , 2Sa. 14:22 , 2Sa. 14:33
*: obeisance-expression of submission, often a bow.
11: Heb. What to thee?

17 And she said unto him, ^cMy lord, thou swarest by the LORD thy God unto thine handmaid, saying, ^dAssuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne.

c: 1Pe. 3:6 , Ge. 18:12 , Ep. 5:33
d: 2Sa. 7:13 , 1Ch. 29:1 , 1Ch. 29:9 , 1Ch. 22:9 , 1Ch. 22:10 , 1Ki. 1:13

18 And now, behold, ^eAdonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not:

e: 1Ki. 1:11 , 1Ki. 1:13 , 1Ki. 1:25

19 And he ^fhath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host: but Solomon thy servant hath he not called.

f: 1Ki. 1:7 , 1Ki. 1:9 , 1Ki. 1:10 , 1Ki. 1:25

20 And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.

21 Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall ^gsleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted ¹²offenders.

g: 2Sa. 7:12
12: Heb. sinners, Ge. 43.9. Jos. 2.19. , Ge. 43:9 , Jos. 2:19

22 ¶And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, ^hNathan the prophet also came in.

h: 1Ki. 1:14

23 And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he ⁱbowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.

i: 1Ki. 1:16

24 And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?

25 For ^jhe is gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the king's sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, ¹³God save king Adonijah.

j: 1Ki. 1:7 , 1Ki. 1:9 , 1Ki. 1:19
13: Heb. let king Adonijah live, 1Sa. 10.24. v.34. Re. 13.4. , 1Sa. 10:24 , 1Ki. 1:34 , Re. 13:4

26 But me, even ^kme thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, hath he not called.

k: 1Ki. 1:8 , 1Ki. 1:10 , 1Ki. 1:19 , 1Ki. 1:32

27 Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not ^lshewed it unto thy servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?

l: 2Sa. 7:2 , 2Sa. 12:24 , 2Sa. 12:25 , 1Ki. 1:20

28 ¶Then king David answered and said, Call me Bath-sheba. And she came ¹⁴into the king's presence, and stood before the king.

14: Heb. before the king.

29 And the king sware, and said, As ^mthe LORD liveth, that hath ⁿredeemed my soul out of all distress,

m: Ju. 8:18 , Ju. 8:19 , 2Sa. 12:5 , 1Ki. 17:1 , Ru. 3:13
n: Ps. 34:19 , Ps. 34:22 , Ps. 71:23 , 2Sa. 4:9 , Ge. 48:16

30 Even as ^oI sware unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my ^*stead; even so will I certainly do this day.

o: 1Ki. 1:13 , 1Ki. 1:17
*: stead-place.

31 Then Bath-sheba ^pbowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, ^qLet my lord king David live for ever.

p: 1Ki. 1:16 , 1Ki. 1:23 , Ge. 18:2 , Ge. 19:1
q: Ne. 2:3 , Da. 2:4 , Da. 3:9 , Da. 5:10 , Da. 6:21

32 ¶And king David said, Call me ^rZadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king.

r: 1Ki. 1:8 , 1Ki. 1:26 , 1Ki. 1:38

33 The king also said unto them, Take with you ^sthe servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ^tride upon ¹⁵mine own mule, and bring him down to ^uGihon:

s: 2Sa. 11:11 , 2Sa. 20:6
t: Ge. 41:43 , Es. 6:8
15: Heb. which belongeth to me, Es. 6.8. , Es. 6:8
u: 2Ch. 32:30 , 2Ch. 33:14 , 1Ki. 1:45

34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet ^vanoint him there king over Israel: and ^wblow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon.

v: 1Sa. 10:1 , 1Sa. 16:13 , 2Ki. 9:3 , 2Ki. 11:12 , 2Ki. 23:30 , Ps. 45:7 , Ac. 10:38 , 1Jn. 2:27
w: 2Ki. 9:13 , 2Ki. 11:12 - 14 , 2Sa. 15:10 , 1Ki. 1:25 , Ps. 97:1 , Ps. 72:17 , Mar. 11:9 , Mar. 11:10

35 Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my ^*stead: and ^xI have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.

*: stead-place.
x: Ps. 2:6 , 2Sa. 19:41 , 1Ki. 12:19

36 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, ^yAmen: the LORD God of my lord the king say so too.

y: Je. 11:5 , De. 27:15 - 26 , Ps. 33:9 , Mat. 6:13

37 As ^zthe LORD hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and ^amake his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David.

z: Jos. 1:5 , Jos. 1:17 , 2Ki. 2:9 , He. 13:5 , Is. 41:10 , 1Ch. 22:16 , 1Sa. 20:13
a: 1Ki. 1:47 , Ps. 72:8 , 2Ki. 2:9 , Da. 7:14 , Mat. 28:18 , Phi. 2:10 , Phi. 2:11

38 So ^bZadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the ^cCherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon.

b: 1Ki. 1:8 , 1Ki. 1:26 , 1Ki. 1:32 , 1Ki. 1:33 , 1Ki. 1:44 , 2Sa. 15:18 , 2Sa. 8:18
c: 1Sa. 30:14

39 And Zadok the priest took an ^dhorn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and ^eall the people said, God save king Solomon.

d: 1Sa. 10:1 , 1Sa. 16:1 , Ex. 25:6 , Ex. 30:23 - 32 , 1Ch. 23:1 , 1Ch. 29:22 , Ps. 89:20
e: 1Ki. 1:25

40 And ^fall the people came up after him, and the people piped with ¹⁶pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.

f: 1Sa. 10:24 , 1Sa. 11:15 , 2Ki. 11:20 , 1Ch. 12:38 , Zec. 9:9 , Ps. 97:1 , Ps. 47:5 - 9 , Re. 11:15 - 18
16: Or, flutes.

41 ¶And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an ^gend of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar?

g: 1Th. 5:2 , Pr. 14:13 , Job 20:5 , Lu. 17:26 , Phi. 3:19 , Ac. 21:31 , Ac. 21:32

42 And while he yet spake, behold, ^hJonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for ⁱthou art a valiant man, and bringest good tidings.

h: 2Sa. 15:27 , 2Sa. 15:36 , 2Sa. 17:17
i: 1Ki. 22:8 , 2Sa. 18:27 , Je. 12:6 , 1Th. 5:2 , 1Th. 5:3

43 And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, ^j^*Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king.

j: 1Ki. 1:32 - 40
*: Verily-surely, indeed, truly.

44 And ^kthe king hath sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king's mule:

k: 1Ki. 1:38 , 1Ki. 1:39

45 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon: and they are come ^lup from thence rejoicing, so that the city ^mrang again. This is the noise that ye have heard.

l: 1Ch. 11:5 , 2Ch. 5:2
m: 1Sa. 4:5

46 And also Solomon ⁿsitteth on the throne of the kingdom.

n: 1Ki. 1:13 , Ps. 132:11 , 1Ch. 22:10 , 1Ch. 28:5 , 1Ch. 29:23

47 And moreover the king's servants came to ^obless our lord king David, saying, ^pGod make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne. And the king ^qbowed himself upon the bed.

o: 2Sa. 8:10 , 2Sa. 21:3 , Ex. 12:32
p: 1Ki. 1:37
q: Ge. 24:26 , Ge. 47:31 , He. 11:21 , Ps. 103:1 - 6

48 And also thus said the king, ^rBlessed be the LORD God of Israel, which hath given one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it.

r: Ps. 72:18 , Ps. 72:19 , 1Ch. 29:10 - 20 , Pr. 17:6

49 And ^sall the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way.

s: Pr. 28:1 , Ps. 53:5 , Job 20:5 , Da. 5:4 - 6 , Ac. 12:23

50 ¶And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, ^tand caught hold on the horns of the altar.

t: Ex. 38:2 , Ex. 21:14 , 1Ki. 2:28 , Ps. 118:27 , Ex. 27:2

51 And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me to day that he will not slay his servant with the sword.

52 And Solomon said, If he will shew himself a worthy man, there ^ushall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if ^vwickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.

u: 1Sa. 14:45 , 2Sa. 14:11 , Ac. 27:34
v: Le. 19:15 , De. 1:17 , 2Ch. 19:7

53 So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, ^wGo to thine house.

w: Pr. 24:21 , Ezr. 7:13 , Ezr. 7:14 , Jn. 15:14 , 1Co. 7:20